Guest lucyevans Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 Hello, Ofsted no longer allow assistants to be left unsupervised to care for children even with written parental permission (see below). If you agree that this should be changed please can you sign and forward the following link to a petition to have this decision reversed. http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/EYFS-regulations/ Thank you, Lucy Thank your for your email. Please be advised of the following information with regards to your query. For providers caring for the EYFS age range they must adhere to the specific legal requirements set out in the appendix 2 regarding ratios. In terms of levels of supervision the statutory guidance says Staff/volunteers/students under the age of 17 cannot count towards the ratio and should be supervised at all times. Individuals aged 17 and over who are on long-term placements may be included in the ratios if the provider is satisfied they are competent and responsible. For providers on the Childcare Register the following applies Childminders must be aged 18 or over and childminders must ensure that any person aged under 18 caring for children, is supervised at all times by a person who has attained the age of 18. For childcare at least two persons who have attained the age of 18 and who care for the children are present at all times on the relevant premises and any person aged under 18 caring for children, is supervised at all times by a person who has attained the age of 18. The childminder must be present at all times on the relevant premises where children are cared for. This means that assistants cannot currently be left unsupervised to care for children (including the school run) even with written parental permission as the regulations do not allow for this to happen. We are seeking legal advice on the regulations to see if it is possible for assistants to undertake the school run. Providers who are on a combination of registers must organise their provision so that they are able to meet both sets of requirements as one does not override the other. The Department for Children, Schools and Families is responsible for the policy behind the Early Years and General Childcare Registers, including the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the General Childcare Regulations which set out the requirements for the Childcare Register. If childminders feel that the differences between the requirements cause disruption to continuity of care or affect contractual arrangements providers can set out their concerns to the Department of Children, Schools and Families. We are seeking a resolution to the issues raised by many childminders and local authority colleagues on the issue of use of assistants on the Childcare Register. As soon as we have received further legal advice on the issue of whether assistants can do school runs for children in the later year's age group on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register we will provide an update. This response reflects the current position and providers must comply with the requirements of the Early Years Register and /or the Childcare Register. I hope that this information will be of use to you. However, should you require any further help or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Regards, Customer Service Advisor Ofsted - National Business Unit TEL: 08456 404040
Guest Posted February 16, 2009 Posted February 16, 2009 I was under the impression that assistants can supervise under 5's and when I was talking to Ofsted on Friday there was no mention that they can no longer do this, although they did confirm that an assistant cannot be left with over 5's!
Guest Jollytots Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Ofsted make the rules as they go along we were given permission today for an assistant to be left in sole charge, last week we were told only if they had a FIrst Aid cert. We have it written into our Certificates, sometimes they honour other times they dont. It depends on the set up and whether they are happy with you!!!
Guest DiamondGirl Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Hi I have been contimplating taking on an assistant for some time now and so I spoke to Ofsted just yesterday Friday 27th Feb 2009. They told me that I can get a special variation to allow the assistant to be left with under 5s and that along with parental permission they could do the schooll run for the older children!!! My insurance company said they will insure me for what ever Ofsted give me permission for!! Clearly we all need some clarity on this subject!! On a different subject, anyone completed the SEF form yet! HELP!!
HappyMaz Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Welcome to the Forum, DiamondGirl! Congratulations on making your first post - perhaps you could look at the SEF thread elsewhere on the Forum, or maybe you could start a thread dedicated to how childminders have found completing the SEF because I imagine its a very different process to those of us in groups! Maz
Guest Jollytots Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Hi I've just finished my SEF although I havent had an inspection yet, although I know several friends who have. I think it is a good idea to have a seperate area for childminders as I know loads of people who are struggling.
HappyMaz Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 I think it is a good idea to have a seperate area for childminders as I know loads of people who are struggling. There is a separate forum area for registered childminders, Jollytots - so if someone wants to start a SEF thread I'm sure it will be flooded with posts! Maz
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